Curcuminoids have been studied over the years for a variety of medical and nutritional applications. Many of these studies suggest curcuminoids may have significant anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and may even inhibit the growth of certain types of cancers.
Curcuminoids such as curcumin, demethoxycurcumin (DSMC) and bis-demethoxycurcumin (BMC) are polyphenols commonly found in Turmeric, a well known and often used spice derived from rhizome of the herb Curcuma longa Linn. These curcuminoids give Turmeric its bright yellow color and are often added in small amounts to various nutritional or foods to add color.
There has been considerable effort over the years to formulate nutritional products comprising curcuminoids at concentrations sufficiently high to provide the consumer with health benefits associated with these natural extracts. There are, however, several characteristics of curcuminoids that make their formulation into such products problematic. Curcuminoids generally have poor bioavailability when taken orally, and thus when formulated at higher concentrations to counter their inherent poor bioavailability to achieve the desired systemic delivery, the products often take on an intense yellow color. This is especially noticeable in aqueous emulsions and other liquid nutritional products.
Moreover, the solubility profile of curcuminoids makes formulation into nutritional products, especially nutritional products in the form of aqueous emulsions or liquids, much more difficult. Curcuminoids have poor solubility in aqueous systems within the acidic to neutral pH range, a pH range that is common for many nutritional liquids or emulsions Curcuminoids are soluble in carriers such as dimethyl sulfoxide, acetone and ethanol, but are poorly soluble in water as well as many types of edible lipids commonly used in the formulation of aqueous nutritional emulsions.
Accordingly, there is a need for aqueous and other nutritional compositions, and methods for preparing these compositions, comprising curcuminoids in an orally acceptable vehicle that delivers the desired bioavailability and bioactivity while minimizing the impact of the curcuminoids on product color.